1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a drain plug device used in a bath tub and a basin and the like for opening or closing a drain port every time an operating part is pushed.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the related art drain plug device, there has been provided a technology which is disclosed in the gazette of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 9-324451.
As shown in FIG. 14, this related art technology is constituted such that a hollow mechanical box 55 suspended from a plug lid 4 is fitted into a cylindrical guiding part 3 having a bottom part therein arranged at a central part in a drain port 11 in such a way that it can be pulled out or inserted into it, a supporting shaft 14 is inserted into the mechanical box 55 from the lower end of the mechanical box 55, an operating part 6 is arranged in a bath tub 1, a releasing section S having one end connected to the operating part 6 is wired along the inner surface of the bath tub 1 in such a way that the releasing section may not become a hindrance, the other end of an outer tube s3 is connected to the side part of the plug lid 4 and then an inner wire s4 is positioned in the mechanical box 55 while being passed through the plug lid 4.
In this related art, when the operating part 6 is pushed, its extremity end strikes against the upper end of the supporting shaft 14 upon forwarding motion of the inner wire s4, and its further forwarding motion of the inner wire s4 pushes up the plug lid 4 together with the mechanical box 55 to open a drain port 11 (the plug is opened), a thrust lock mechanism 7 installed in the mechanical box 55 is locked and then a subsequent pushing operation for the operating part 6 causes the lock of the thrust lock mechanism 7 to be released to close the drain port 11 (the plug is closed).
Since this related art enables the drain port 11 to be opened or closed by the pushing operation for the releasing member S wired in the bath tub 1, it is possible to eliminate a troublesome state for a wiring work as found in a remote-operated drain plug device wired outside the bath tub or the basin and the like and to prevent a high cost caused by an increased number of component parts in reference to a prevention in leakage accompanied by its outside wiring and the like.
However, there was a possibility that the main bodies of the device comprised of the plug lid 4 and the mechanical box 55 are floated up under the instantaneous pushing-down force when the supporting shaft 14 strikes against the bottom part of the guiding part 3 upon reception of the pushing power of the operating part 6, resulting in that they are flown out of the guiding part 3.
In addition, the releasing member S was constituted such that its outer tube s3 was connected to the side part of the plug lid 4 and only an inner wire s4 was passed through the plug lid 4 with the inner wire being resiliently bent in a feeding hole 44 having a bent part 44a opened at the plug lid 4 and further drawn into the mechanical box 55, so that it showed a problem that a contact frictional resistance between the plug lid 4 made of synthetic resin and the feeding hole 44 for the inner wire s4, in particular at its bent part 44a became remarkably high to require a high force for pushing the operating part 6, resulting in that a poor convenience in use occurred.
In addition, in recent years, there has been present a request from a user using a bath tub and a basin having a rubber plug to open or close a drain port by pulling up a chain for changing this rubber plug into the aforesaid remote-operated drain plug device.
In view of the foregoing, since the aforesaid related art is of a type of inner bath tub wiring system, but is not of a type of outer bath tub wiring system, so that if the system is to be changed, it can be changed in a less-expensive manner without requiring any large-scaled work.
However, it is necessary that an exclusive drain port fixing member (a drain port fitting) having at the central part of the drain port the guiding part for use in guiding the aforesaid mechanical box in such a way that the box can be moved up and down is newly manufactured to be replaced with a drain port fixing member (a drain port fitting) for a rubber plug accommodation type, resulting in that a high cost of the member can not be avoided and its replacing work also requires a certain professional skill.
The present invention has been invented in view of the aforesaid circumstances described above and it is an object of the present invention to provide a stable drain plug device in which the main bodies (the plug lid and the ascending or descending member) of the device are not floated under the pushing operation of the operating part.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a drain plug device in which its operability is improved.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a remote-operated drain plug device in which the device can be easily fixed afterwards to the existing drain port.
The technical means applied for solving the aforesaid objects consists in providing a drain plug device in which a hollow ascending or descending member suspended from the plug lid is supported in such a way that the member can be moved up and down at a guiding part arranged at a central part in the drain port, a supporting shaft is inserted from the lower end of the ascending or descending member into the ascending or descending member, one end of a releasing member is connected to the operating part arranged in the bath tub and the other end of the releasing member is connected to the plug lid, a forwarding motion of the inner wire operated by the pushing operation of the operating part causes the extremity end of the inner wire to be abutted against the supporting shaft, causes the plug lid to be lifted up together with the ascending or descending member to open the drain port, wherein its gist consists in an arrangement in which an engaging means for engaging with the lower end of the supporting shaft is constituted between said guiding part and the lower end of the supporting shaft.
An engaging strength of said engaging means can be freely designed by a practical constitution employed in which the supporting shaft is engaged by such a force as one in which it can be manually replaced with another one or its engaged state is released only when its load of about several tens kilograms is acted on it.
In accordance with this constitution, the floating state of the main bodies (the plug lid and the ascending or descending member) accompanied with the instantaneous pushing-down force of the supporting shaft with the inner wire under a pushing action of the operating part are prevented by the engaging action of the engaging means constituted between the lower end of the supporting shaft and the guiding part.
In addition, the releasing member is constituted by the coil-like inner wire made of metallic material and the outer tube made of tetrafluoloetylene resin (fluoro resin) slidably guiding the inner wire, the releasing member is further preferable if it feeds the outer tube from the side part into the plug lid, bends it within the plug lid in a downward curved state, connects the other end of the tube to the bottom of the plug lid and guides the inner wire into the ascending or descending member.
In accordance with this configuration, since the inner wire in which the metallic material is formed into a coil shape has a sufficient durability against a pushing operation of the operating part and has a predetermined resiliency as compared with the linear wire, it has a flexibility which can be accommodated for its bending action. In addition, the outer tube formed of tetrafluoroethylene resin (fluoro resin) has a high durability against a tensile strength, an elongation of the inner wire caused by the sliding motion is scarcely produced and there is no possibility that a sliding stroke of the inner wire shows a dispersion. Further, since the frictional resistance is low, even if the inner wire is curved with a low curvature, a sliding characteristic of the inner wire is not damaged and further even if an inner circumferential surface of it is cut at the sliding location, fluoro resin particles may act as lubricant material and a smooth sliding motion of the inner wire is maintained for a long period of time. Due to this fact, even if the inner wire is bent in a downward curved state within the plug lid, the outer tube may keep a constant and smooth sliding performance of the inner wire for a long period of time.
In addition, it is preferable that the releasing member is drawn into the plug lid with its upward slant state being set toward the central part of the plug lid and the feeding port adjacent to the outside is slightly larger than a diameter of the releasing member.
In this configuration, the direction changing part of the releasing member (indicated by a reference symbol Sxe2x80x2) of which wiring is arranged to extend along the bath tub under the drawing action of the upward slant state is positioned at a lower location than that of the outer end feeding port as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, a resilient force generated at the direction changing part (indicated by the reference symbol Sxe2x80x2) is effectively utilized as a pressing force for pushing the plug lid in a direction where the plug lid is closely contacted with the drain port, and a clearance at the feeding port weakens the contact resistance generated between the releasing member during its use and the feeding port edge when the device is handled and its cut loss is prevented in advance.
Then, the aforesaid guiding part has integrally an annular flange around it through a drain space, the annular flange is mounted and fixed to the edge of the aforesaid drain port to enable the guiding part to be arranged at the center in the drain port, resulting in that if the guiding part is in integral with the annular flange part, the annular flange part is mounted and fixed to the edge part of the drain port fixing member (the drain port fitting) constituting the drain port, thereby the guiding part can be arranged at the central part in the drain port, and in the case that the guiding part is made separate from the annular flange part and it can be removably arranged from above against the annular flange, the annular flange is mounted and fixed to the edge of the drain port fixing member (the drain port fitting) constituting the drain port, thereafter it is engaged with the annular flange part and thus the guiding part can be arranged at the central part of the drain port.
That is, the remote-operated drain plug device can be installed afterwards to the bath tub and the basin and the like where the drain port can be opened or closed with the rubber plug.
In addition, in the case that the guiding part and the annular flange part are made separate, the guiding part is made separate from the annular flange to be mounted and fixed to the edge of the drain port fixing member (the drain port fitting) constituting the drain port to facilitate cleaning in the drain port.
Further, in the case that the aforesaid guiding part is made separate from the annular flange and the aforesaid guiding part is removably engaged with the annular flange from above, the guiding part can be engaged with or removed from it from above and thus a workability in the drain port as when the port is cleaned is improved.